NEWARK— The latest advice Devils right winger Michael Ryder received for breaking out of his extended goal-scoring drought came from his uncle.

It was simple: Spit on your stick before the game.

“I might try that tonight and see if that works,” Ryder said.

What could it hurt? Ryder will enter Tuesday night’s game with the Boston Bruins at Prudential Center without a goal in 22 straight games. That is the longest drought of his NHL career.

Ryder, of course, has been through slumps before. He went 11 games without a goal Nov. 10-30 and has been known as a streaky scorer throughout his career. But this one is different.

“It is a little bit, because for us as a team we don’t score a whole lot of goals,” Ryder said. “Especially this time of year because we need as many points as we can to make the playoffs. We’re looking for a playoff spot.

“I take it upon myself because if I score goals, I would help the team. That’s what they got me here for. I’m one of the guys that are supposed to do that. Two or three points would make a big difference in the standings right now. I can’t think about it too much, but I like putting a little pressure on myself trying to get out of it.”

There is little his coach or teammates can do.

“Just keep setting the table for him to have success,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “It’s such a confidence issue. He cares. He tries. He isn’t taking it lightly. It’s bothering him. Sometimes you get in that rut and I think the worse thing you can do is put more pressure on him or kick him.

“He knows he needs one to get going and we’ll just have to hope it’s tonight.”

Linemate Ryane Clowe said they have talked about it.

“A little bit. Obviously we’ve been together a lot,” Clowe said. “He’s had some chances. The one thing about Ryds is his personality helps him when he goes through stretches like this. I don’t think he lets things linger too much. But when it gets to this extent, this long, he’s probably thinking about it.”

Clowe knows how Ryder is feeling.

“I went through it the last year I was in San Jose. At the start of the season I didn’t score until I got traded to New York,” Clowe recalled. “For me, the first little while it’s not really that big a deal. But then when it gets up into the later games you start to think about it. You probably overthink it.

“For him I think it’s different because of his ability to shoot the puck. It really just takes that one shot with him. And then you’ve seen him score seven goals in seven games or five in five.”

Clowe is amazed that Ryder, who has 229 career NHL goals, ever scores.

“He’s always switching his skates and his sticks. He’ll try a new stick before a game. I don’t know how he does it,” Clowe explained. “He might go Easton or CCM or Warrior. Different curve. But he was doing that when he was scoring seven or eight in a row. For him it’s just feel. He has such a good shot, so with him it’s just one shot away.

“I try to stay away from that stuff because it just gives you another reason to overthink it.”

The change of skates isn’t by design.

I’ve been switching my skates all year trying to find the right pair because Bauer stopped making the ones I used to wear,” Ryder said. “With sticks, I go from a bigger curve to a smaller curve sometimes. The last 10 games I’ve been going with the smaller curve I used my whole career. Feeling the puck is a little easier with that.

Didn’t he stock up on the Bauer skates when they were about to be discontinued?

“I was going to (stock up). I would have, for sure, but they just stopped making them,” Ryder said. “I like the old school, classic skate. Now I find the skates are too stiff and the lace cut is different. It just doesn’t feel the same.”

The Devils need some big goals from him.

“It’s tough. Last game I had a couple of good opportunities to score, which could’ve made a difference in the hockey game,” Ryder noted. “That’s frustrating that way, especially this time of year when points are a big deal. If I score a goal here or there it could help and make a big difference.